


two corpses we were (two corpses i saw)

by MediaWhore



Series: animals howling in the night [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Episode: s02e06 Reset, F/M, Not So Unrequited Feelings, Owen Harper Centric, Owen Harper POV, i'd post funny tags about writing hets for once but they're both bi so it doesn't apply, i'm trying to understand the inside of his brain which manifests itself into a lot of random ficlets, owen harper has feelings i guess, they were literally excited about going on a date and then rtd killed them both off
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:27:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23487553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MediaWhore/pseuds/MediaWhore
Summary: "I was asking you out on a date."Owen Harper POV of that scene in 'Reset' where Tosh asks him out.
Relationships: Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: animals howling in the night [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1689415
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	two corpses we were (two corpses i saw)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ivegotfireforaheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivegotfireforaheart/gifts).



> i guess eline gets another birthday ficlet!!1 go wish her a happy birthday @ wherewillyoublaze on Tumblr if you've clicked this. 
> 
> @ eline i don't even know ? i can't stop thinking about that scene and how genuinely excited owen seemed to be ? 
> 
> @ rtd i just want to talk ? why did you have to kill him off literally in this episode ??

Owen Harper would be lying if he said it doesn’t take him by surprise when she corrects him, voice rising in irritation, at him or herself he doesn’t know, but it bursts out of her so strongly it stops him in his tracks. 

“Sorry?” he says, still typing with one hand, confused and not quite sure he heard her correctly. 

Tosh sighs, repeating herself a little more gently. “I was asking you out on a date,” she explains and his brain shortcircuits. 

“A date?” he says slowly, asking for confirmation even though he heard her perfectly the first two times she said it. 

“You didn’t realise,” she says, voice dropping a little, soft and slightly defeated, her face falling. Her eyes widen as she says it too and it’s subtle enough, but Owen  _ knows  _ her, has worked with her for years, and he can read the sudden understanding, then embarrassment as they flicker over her face. 

And he feels like such a jerk but the first thing out of his mouth is a disbelieving “you and me?” he couldn’t keep in even if he tried. Owen can’t help himself, the concept just a little too far fetched not to blurt it out. Though there’s a part of him he wouldn’t give voice to, buried deep, who thinks it’s probably the ‘date’ part that has him so confused and not the ‘him and Tosh’ part. 

But Tosh, bless her, takes it in strides, squaring her shoulders and smiling a little, replying ‘yeah’ with a small nod, throwing herself out there, at his mercy, pushing this door open for them he didn’t even know he might want to walk through. 

It’s a lot to take in, all at once, and his mind automatically goes back to that day where she first asked him out, trying to figure out where he went wrong, how he managed to misinterpret her intentions so badly. Was he really that blind? 

Owen inhales before replying. “I see,” he says, blinking rapidly, “and…” he pauses, uncertain, “you….” he hesitates for a second, “still want that?” He’s shaking his head as he says it, not quite sure of himself and his actions, mostly disbelieving himself for needing even more reassurance that she means it after she’s said so over three times already. 

She doesn’t seem to be sharing his confusion at all, saying “yeah!” again with the same enthusiasm as before, the exact same nod, except its tinged with optimism now and Owen acutely feels like maybe he’s holding a part of her in the palm of his hand, like she’s given this to him freely and he needs to tread carefully. Not because she’s not strong enough to take whatever he’d throw at her, he knows her and her warm heart mixed with a core of steel too well to ever think that. But there’s something about the way she’s making herself vulnerable, the way she’s taking this chance, that twist something in his lower belly.

“Right,” he agrees without second-guessing it, turning back to face the monitor, typing on the keyboard to keep his hands occupied, feeling a little out of sorts. 

“I just thought,” Tosh starts babbling, walking towards him and the screens, “if we spent some time together, an evening…” 

“Alright,” Owen agrees again, a kernel of excitement popping in his chest. 

“Sorry?” Tosh says and when he looks at her, her dark eyes are adorably wide with confusion. 

“Let’s do it.” 

Her face falls again. “Are you being sarcastic?” she asks, a bit mistrustful and it shouldn’t make him laugh, but he can’t help himself. She knows him well. 

“No,” he manages to get out through the laughter, looking at her as she turns away from him, posture suddenly rigid. 

“You’re being polite,” she claims firmly, refusing to look at him. “You’ll stand me up,” she adds and it should offend him that she thinks so little of him that she’d believe he would agree to go out with her to avoid awkwardness only to purposefully hurt her later. 

Owen Harper is an asshole and he knows it, but he wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. 

“No,” he says, still laughing a little. “I’ve just said yes. Alright. One date. See how it goes.” He becomes very serious. “Which might be nowhere,” he warns, wanting – needing – to make this clear before she gets too excited. 

This could hurt them both after all. 

“That’s fine,” Tosh agrees more easily than he’d thought. “A drink.” 

“Okay.”

“Yeah.” 

“And I’m gonna keeping flirting with people, okay?” Owen warns her, pointing at her sternly because no matter how excited he’s starting to feel about this, it won’t change who he is. “Just… ‘cause of this, doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop flirting.” 

Tosh lowers her head, smiling widely. “You can be king of flirts!” she exclaims kindly and something warm settles inside of Owen.

“Okay,” he agrees, feeling his own matching grin widen. “Right then,” he says, suddenly feeling a bit awkward, turning back to the screen to stop himself from staring at her, at the way she can’t stop smiling, eyes sparkling. “We should uh…” he starts saying, risking another glance in her direction, “concentrate on Martha.” 

“Yeah,” she agrees, turning back towards her own work and it takes a lot for Owen not to look back at her again. 

He resists the pull of her smiling face though, tilting his head a little instead, smirking to himself with satisfaction. 


End file.
